Scented Paint!

I love this idea because it encourages creativity and it's cheaply home-made, with stuff you probably already have (I'm thinking vanilla for white (although it might not keep your paint white), mint for green, almond for brown?).

Best Kid's Room Ever

One of my favourite blogs for decor and interior design is apartmenttherapy.  It's fantastic.  Also, it has a section focused on kid's called ohdeedoh.  I find a lot of inspiration there and check it regularly.  One of the main inspirations for my daughter's room came from this room tour.  I just love the colours, the vintage look, the emphasis on books and the wonderful hand-made-ness of it all. 

Intentional Community Living - Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage

Community living is high on our list of priorities when it comes to family life.  Just as sharing a room with your sister can teach you a lot, sharing a house with her causes you to expand your mind in so many ways.  There is an infinite variety of ways to live in community - anything from making an effort to say hi to your neighbours, to living in a multi-family shared house.  The Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage is one way of doing community.  The environmental considerations that they have taken are baffling, and I think the combination of private and shared living space is ideal.

Sharing a Bedroom - Three Boys, One Room

Growing up I always shared a room with my sister.  I plan to have my kids share rooms as well, partly because I don't plan to buy a big house with a room for each of them, and also because I think it's great for kids to learn all of the wonderful things you get to learn when you have to share.  This room is shared by three boys and I love  it!  A great way of making life together economical, practical and fun.

Boys Will Be Boys

I don't have any boys yet, but when I saw this post I sighed a big sigh and thought, I want my boys to be like that.  How fantastic are those first two pictures?  I do consider myself a feminist (although most people misunderstand the word), and I just love the way those boys do not seem to adhere to any of the rules about what boys are supposed to be like.  They are both energetic and artsy.  They care about farming and reading.  Hauling in the firewood, helping dad with the chores, and baking and drawing and writing.  Yes, I've determined all this from a mama's blog.  I'm pretty sure they're not perfect, but they do inspire me to let my boys be boys in whichever way they want.

T-Shirt Pom Poms

I love pom poms as decor, but have yet to actually do it.  But look at this great idea!  And you could make little ones as toys for kids!  Tie a bell in the middle and you have a jingly one.  And the whole thing could even go in the wash.  How awesome.

Storage and Display - DIY pedestal bowl

I have a Pottery Barn book called Storage and Display, and it has completely changed the way I think about organization in my house.  One of the BIG things I've learned from it is the value of small decorative dishes.  Take your front entrance for example.  You walk in with your keys, the baby's soother, and some coupon you got at the grocery store.  You put this little pile on the little table you have in the front hall.  It sits there for however long - probably until you go out again, or longer.  In the mean time it looks like a pile of random items.  Now imagine that same front hall table with a bunch of little bowls and dishes on it.  You toss each of the random items you have in your hands into one of these dishes and voila - they are where they're supposed to be.  Your entrance looks automatically cleaned up and tidy.  I have a tray of little dishes beside my kitchen sink, in the bathroom and beside my bed.  My house is far from cleaned up and tidy, but they certainly help.  Here is a great idea that adds a bit of height and style to your collection of catch-all dishes.